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The Manager Owns the Metric
This is the fourth and final article in the Selling Intangibles series. I hope you’ve enjoyed the previous articles—and more importantly, that you’ve put some of these ideas to work with your team or in your own selling performance. Let us know.
I’m going to make a bold statement about sales managers and intangibles.
The achievement of a calculated intangible metric is more reflective of sales management than it is of the salespeople.
Sales managers need a strategy for increasing performance …
When the Objection Isn’t the Customer’s
This is our third article on Selling Intangibles. If you missed the first two, I encourage you to go back and read them.
Objections to intangibles are common—and they can be anticipated, avoided, and handled.
Customer objections to intangibles often show up when you ask the sales associate what kept the customer from buying protection, making an appointment, or using financing for the purchase.
Here are some common examples of objections salespeople share for each intangible tool:
Financing:…
Whose Objection Is It, Really?
This is the second article in the series on Selling Intangibles.
As sales managers, we need to know what the sales associates’ objections are to selling intangibles.
In many cases, the objections the salesperson has to the intangible may be greater than the customer’s objection—or it may be that the salesperson simply agrees with the customer.
We know that salespeople need to believe in the intangible as a valuable tool to the sale. But when they don’t have success using that tool, they often…
Selling Intangibles Starts Earlier Than You Think
This is the first in a series on Selling Intangibles. The specific intangibles I’ll be referring to are appointments (defined as a scheduled meeting—in the showroom, onsite, or using technology), accident protection, and financing.
Intangibles are different. They require an introduction to the concept before the request to take action.
As sales managers, we often say, “Bring it up early and often.” That’s accurate—but what do we really mean by that? Do we demonstrate and practice that process,…
Your 2026 Sales Plan, Simplified
This is the final installment in the goal-setting series, and it brings together a simple, math-based process designed to help you manage both your sales and your income throughout the year.
Nothing here is complicated—but it does require intention.
Let’s summarize what you’ve built.
1. Create a Written Sales Goal for the Year
You’ve already done the hard thinking. Now it’s about clarity and commitment.
- Create a written sales goal for the year
- Calculate it using your commission percentag…
January Sales Skills Series: Goal Setting for Sales Professionals
If you’ve ever set a sales goal with the best intentions…and then watched it quietly fade by March, you’re not alone.
That’s exactly why we kicked off the January Sales Skills Series with Goal Setting for Sales Professionals — a session designed to take goal setting out of the “hope and hustle” category and put it squarely into clear, measurable, workable math.
This session isn’t about dreaming bigger. It’s about building goals you can actually work.
Before you hit play, here’s what you’ll le…
What It Really Takes to Hit Your Sales Goal
This is the third installment in the goal setting theme. In the first two installments, we calculated the minimum written number (basement) and then added to that for the actual goal number.
These numbers might seem high at first glance—especially if they are beyond your current level of performance.
Goals are achieved by actions taken, rather than reactions to a specific number.
The activity level required to achieve your goal needs to be in alignment with the goal. For instance, the activit…
Real Progress Begins With This Question
Being Coachable: What Have You Already Tried?
This month’s theme is being coachable, and this week we’re focusing on one essential question: What have you already tried?
Working with a coach is a process—one that helps you explore areas that can be hard to face alone, or easy to ignore in favor of something more urgent, or something that gives a quicker emotional reward.
A coach will guide you through the layers of your situation, uncovering insights and information along the way. That proces…
Your Growth Plan Needs This One Thing
This month, we’ve explored what it means to BE a Student—embracing curiosity, elevating awareness, and considering simple solutions. Now we cap the series with the most important step: making continuous learning permanent.
As James Clear said, “You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Why Continuous Learning Matters
Setting the intention to learn is one thing. But without structure, even the best intentions fade.
When you identified what you wanted t…
August Be Series: BE a Student — Embrace Learning to Lead Better
August’s BE Series session focused on a powerful theme: being a student. In sales and sales management, it’s easy to think experience alone makes us effective. But the truth is, growth happens when we keep learning—staying curious, humble, and willing to practice. Here are four lessons we explored this month.
Cultivate a Beginner’s Mind
Certainty is the enemy of growth. When we think we already know it all, we stop learning. A beginner’s mind means showing up curious and open—whether in a sa…
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